ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the complete failure of the political transition and the persistence of military rule. It describes economic management and the demise of the Structural Adjustment Programme. The chapter also addresses problems underlying the intensification of the economic and political crises ‘and examines the prospects for change. By comparison, the earlier transition of 1977 –1979, under the Obasanjo regime, appears purposeful and exemplary in the pursuit and attainment of its economic and political objectives. The final years of the Babangida regime were marked by gross manipulation of the transition process. A proposal for an Interim National Government (ING) with representatives of both parties to replace the Transitional Council finally gained acceptance among politicians and the military as a way out of the morass. The ING solved none of the fundamental problems and was at best a temporary improvisation.
